Real Estate

More Than A Shopping Center

25 years of Parkville Commons and the partnerships behind it Article by Dale Brouk | Photography by Photos courtesy of Dale Brouk Today, most people know Parkville Commons as the place to go for their everyday needs. From its flagship tenant, Price Chopper, to some of Parkville’s favorite restaurants — such as Nick and Jake’s, Acre, Sakae Sushi, Pizza Hut and Jimmy John's — Parkville Commons has it all.  “The developer had a great vision and a great plan for Parkville Commons, and we were...

Food + Beverage

A Novel Cafe

Provis Coffee hopes to be North Kansas City's new third space Article by Reilly Atkins | Photography by Hannah Schreiner Ronni Kurtz and Josh Brown had always loved visiting coffee shops together. Starting their own always felt like a pipe dream–a fun mental exercise for an uncle and nephew who, only four years apart in age, were more like brothers. At each new cafe, they would discuss the things they loved and the things they’d do differently: more comfortable chairs, great coffee, more...

Food + Beverage

Dream It, Bake It

Erin Jeanne McDowell encourages bakers to create their perfect baked good with the building blocks in her fourth cookbook Article and Photography by Katie Currid Erin Jeanne McDowell has a busy month ahead of her. Her fourth cookbook, “Bake Anything,” was just released, and she’s got a whirlwind book tour ahead of her throughout October and November, with stops all over the country. But the stop she’s probably most excited about? The one in Overbrook, Kansas.  The New York Times bestselling...

Food + Beverage

Erin Jeanne McDowell's Vanilla Pudding

Article by Katie Currid | Photography by Nico Schinco While she definitely thinks you should start with whatever recipe sticks out to you from her newest book, “Bake Anything,” Erin Jeanne McDowell also wants to nudge you towards her pudding recipe. She says pudding is underrated to Americans, relegated to the same category as shelf-stable Snack Packs instead of the delicious homemade custard that it is.  If you’ve never made pudding without the help of a powdered mix before, now is your time...

Food + Beverage

Bottled Legacy

Shatto is still doing it the old-fashioned way — and Kansas City can't get enough. Article and Photography by Jennifer Kirby Shatto Milk Company, tucked into the rolling farmland north of Kansas City, does more than just sell a product. Their business tells a story and has been doing it for over a hundred years. The land itself tells the first part of the story. Barb Shatto grew up on this farm. Her parents milked cows here. The property has been in her family for more than a century, and...

Home + Design

Above Main Street

A historic Weston apartment above Cactus Creek opens its doors Article and Photography by Jennifer Kirby There are places that hold stories in their walls. Not metaphorically, but literally in the stone and brick and wood of a building that has stood through more than a century and a half of American life.  The apartment above Cactus Creek on Main Street in Weston is one of those places. And now, for the first time, Tracy Smith is sharing it with the world. The building's story begins in the...

Life + Culture

Falling for Carolyn's

Three decades in, Carolyn's Pumpkin Patch is a Liberty family tradition Article by Reilly Atkins | Photography by Tom Funk Photos Nothing says fall quite like a trip to the pumpkin patch, but Carolyn’s Pumpkin Patch in Liberty might be the most fall of them all.  Carolyn Raasch started her pumpkin patch in 1991, setting aside 20 acres of her family’s farm for the endeavor. When the highway opened, it seemed like a great way to bring in extra revenue and have fall fun with her family. Today...

Home + Design

The Pumpkin Fairy

Meet the Northland nurse turned pumpkin stylist behind Mum & Gourd Article by Katie Currid For Monica Hiser, fall porch styling started as a long-distance experiment. During frequent visits to family in West Texas, a place where a fully dressed porch each October is practically expected, she started thinking, I'd love to do that. So she did. She styled her own porch first. Then neighbors started asking about it. Then family members. Then, of all people, her hairstylist looked at her and...

Entertainment

Back on Track

A community-funded expansion keeps the Kansas City Northern Miniature Railroad running for another generation of Northland families Article by Reilly Atkins | Photography by Hannah Schreiner If you’ve ever driven out to Line Creek Community Center for ice skating or biking, you may have noticed something a bit unexpected: a miniature train. The Kansas City Northern Miniature Railroad has been a staple for Northland families since it opened in 1992.  The journey began in 1985, when Kansas...

Event Planning + Services

Burros, Brunches, and a Little Bit of Magic

A Smithville farm is giving folks something to bray about Article and Photography by Jennifer Kirby There are some experiences that are hard to explain until you're standing in the middle of them. A field of miniature donkeys is one of those experiences. The moment you arrive at Bar None Burros in Smithville, Missouri, something shifts. Whatever you carried with you — the to-do lists, the screen time, the hurry — loosens its grip. And if you have kids in tow, you are about to witness something...